Suckla Ranch
The Suckla Ranch is a true cowboy cattle operation ranch. Located in Disappointment Valley in Southwest Colorado, about 65 miles from Telluride, Colorado. The ranch is strategically placed throughout its 6,760 deeded acres and its 81,133 leased acres of forest service and BLM land, making for a highly successful operation. The ranch holds the sole permits on the forest service and BLM acreage, which is a rarity and asset to the ranch operations. The ranch's vast acreage is made up of various topographies giving way to good winter and summer operating climates. It is approximately 15 miles from the winter camp in Disappointment Valley to the summer camp on the Glades, San Juan National Forest. The cattle are trailed to summer and winter range but never leave the ranch property, so no trucking is ever needed.
The operations of the ranch have been skillfully thought out, leading to 60 years...
The operations of the ranch have been skillfully thought out, leading to 60 years of good ranching. The calves are processed on the winter range when they come off the summer permit then weighed on the ranch scales and shipped out or weaned. If you choose to wean the calves there is a weaning fence between the fields, creating less stress on the calves. The ranch can be run by two good hands and occasional day help making the cost per head much lower than most ranching operations. The corral work is done at a central location from branding in the spring to weighing and shipping calves in the fall.
The acreage includes some irrigated land. The irrigated land surrounding the corrals is critical in this operation. The water comes from Disappointment Creek and is good until early July, giving the ranch one cutting of hay, approximately 300 round bales, and good pasture for the fall. The ranch is comprised of enough acreage that you never have to feed cows as there is enough pasture to graze.
Improvements are spread throughout the ranch and leased acreage. The headquarters is in the valley, consisting of a 2,808 square foot ranch house, full RV hookup, 30 x 40 Quonset Shop, 40 x 50 workshop, 84 x 90 combination hay shed equipment shed calving stall tack room, full set of working corrals, and a pond filled with a good working well. At the working facilities for cattle and the hay fields, improvements in place are a 12 x 20 workers cabin/cook shack, certified set of scales, hydraulic chute, and calf table. In the mountain section of the ranch is a line camp with a 12 x 20 cabin. On the forest permit section of the ranch, where summer operations take place is a 1,326 square foot cabin, and the cabin is privately owned. Additionally, there is a bunkhouse, tack shed, and corrals.
Other than the incredible cattle operation of the ranch that is already in place, the ranch offers other opportunities for growth and development. Located in Game Management Units 70 & 711, the ranch has a multitude of wildlife including mule deer, elk, bears, mountain lions, antelope, mountain sheep, and turkey. It also has bald eagles and wild horses for great viewing experiences. Giving way to other income operations such as hunting and recreational ventures.
Recreational opportunities around the ranch are plentiful. The Dolores River is nearby, Telluride is 65 miles away with festivals in the summer and world-class skiing in the winter, and Canyonlands National Park is not far for hours of hiking and ATVing.
The sweet spot of the ranch is the very private setting, a cowboy way of life. Call M4 Ranch Group today for your private showing.
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